Architectural fabric ceiling and wall systems have been used for several years to enhance interior acoustics and the appearance of interior spaces in homes, buildings, rooms, and the like. These systems can provide color, texture, and three-dimensional features to a ceiling or wall which cannot be duplicated by other surface treatments. Typically, these systems include a number of extruded molding strips which frame an area over which a fabric is stretched. The extruded molding strips, also referred to as track, are affixed to a support structure such as a wall or ceiling using screws, nails, adhesives, or other securing means as appropriate, and have a retaining mechanism for retaining the fabric. The area which is framed by the track can be any shape or size. After the track frames the area, the fabric is stretched over the frame and secured in the retaining mechanism. The fabric can be any material which can be held by the retaining mechanism. The fabric is often a cloth material, and the cloth may be textured or patterned with a design.
The retaining mechanisms which have been employed in prior art systems typically include a pair of spring biased walls which have opposing jaw members. In operation, the fabric is pushed between the jaws using a knife or other suitable flat object. The fabric accumulates in a cavity between the jaw members, and, if necessary, can be trimmed using a knife or shears at the location of the retaining mechanism after it is inserted into the cavity. Because the extruded members provide a frame for the area of interest, the procedure of stretching the fabric over the frame and stuffing the fabric into the retaining mechanism region of the frame members assures that a smooth fabric surface is presented. The framed unit is often referred to as a stretch fabric “panel”.
The fabric panel may be positioned over a tackable core material, such as, for example, in wall applications where it is desired to permit pictures and other objects to be hung on the wall over the fabric panel. In addition, the fabric panel may be positioned over acoustical core materials (i.e., fibrous or foam insulation) which attenuate sound, as would be needed in auditoriums or recording studios. Furthermore, electronic equipment, such as speakers, microphones, and the like, may be positioned behind the fabric panel within a mounting frame or region.
The choice of material used for the fabric will depend on the application. In acoustic applications, it will be desirable to use loose weave materials which will allow free passage of air between the room and the sound attenuating foam or fibrous material. This will allow, in the case of embedded speakers, sound to be projected clear and undistorted into the room from the speaker, and, in the case of using acoustical cores to deaden undesirable noise, and will prevent undesirable noise from being reflected into the room. For wall or ceiling applications which are decorative in purpose, fabrics with a tighter weave and other specific characteristics will be preferred. Cloth as well as metal wire and extruded plastic fabrics can be used.
The panels need not be rectangular in shape. In fact, the edges of several adjacent fabric panels can be organized in a manner which creates parallelograms, triangles, and other geometric shapes on the treated wall surface. In addition, the extruded pieces can be fashioned so as to create bevels, curves, and spaces between adjacent panels.
Several patents describe stretch fabric panel systems. These include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,631,882, 4,731,960, and 4,788,806 all to Sease; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,018,260, 4,053,008, 4,151,672, 4,161,977, 4,197,686, and 4,625,490 all to Baslow; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,117,598, 5,214,892, and 5,953,873 all to Livingston. Each of these patents is herein incorporated by reference.
Despite the widespread use of fabric panel systems, improvements in molding strip designs for use where two surfaces meet perpendicularly would be advantageous. Most fabric panel systems can only fit into a perpendicular edge with removal of certain sections of the wall track to be inserted. This impediment of the fabric panel systems makes the installation more difficult due to an addition of steps and the increased possibility of error in the installation. In addition, prior art stretch fabric panel systems often retain opposing jaw members in an interlocking pattern or have no jaws present at all. Accordingly, there is a need for a molding system which retains the dual ability to be applied at an edge of two perpendicularly intersecting surfaces without modifying the original design, and which possesses an inward gripping teeth formation which benefits the homeowner and professional alike.